How to Handle a Corn Snake Properly

In a recent blog post, I offered some tips for handling a pet snake. This is part two of that lesson. Now that we have laid down some general guidelines and techniques for handling a corn snake, let’s talk about some of the things you should avoid.

After finishing this follow-up lesson, you’ll know everything there is to know about proper handling techniques. And you’ll be a more confident snake keeper as a result.

So without further ado, let’s get to the good stuff…

Frequency of Handling

Let’s start out by talking about the frequency of handling. How often should I handle my pet corn snake? Is too much handling a bad thing? These are common questions among first-time snake keepers, so let’s answer them thoroughly.

Here’s a general rule of thumb. Once a week is a good frequency. Handling your corn snake more than once a week is too much, in my opinion. A snake that is handled too often can become stressed. You cannot see stress in reptiles, but it will eventually manifest in the form of ill health, refusal to eat, and other symptoms.

On the other hand, you need to handle your corn snake regularly enough for cage cleaning and maintenance, and also to keep the animal accustomed to handling. That’s why I favor the once-a-week “rule” of handling. I have no hard scientific data to support it, but it has served me well for decades. That’s all the data I need.

Of course, you shouldn’t hesitate to handle your pet as needed to provide the proper care, even if it violates the once-a-week “rule.” Likewise, you should leave your corn snake alone at certain times (like after a meal), even if it means you’ll go two weeks without handling. Common sense always applies.

For example, let’s say you handle the snake on Monday to show it to a friend. On Wednesday, you find that it has pooped up the cage quite a bit. It’s perfectly all right (and recommended) to handle the animal as needed to spot clean or thoroughly clean the cage.

When you first bring your corn snake home, it’s a good idea to leave it alone for a few days. In fact, I recommend that you leave it alone for 3 – 5 days, then offer it a small meal, and then wait another week before handling the snake (for a total of two weeks before handling). The most important thing is to give it time to adjust to its new surroundings. Transferring a snake can be stressful for the animal, especially if it has just traveled in a car or plane to reach you!

You will have plenty of time to handle the snake later on. So at first, you should be more concerned with letting it acclimate to its new surroundings, and getting it to eat one or two meals in its new habitat. Then it’s okay to handle the snake as needed for maintenance and care.

How Not to Handle a Corn Snake

Okay. So we’ve covered some general guidelines and “rules” for handling a corn snake. Now we need to talk about the things you should avoid. Here is a list of snake handling no-no’s:

Do not handle a corn snake immediately after it eats, if at all possible. Give your pet at least 48 hours after meals before handling. If you try to handle it too soon after a meal, the snake might regurgitate the meal.

Do not handle a corn snake that is “blue” and going into a shed cycle, or is in the actual process of shedding its skin. They should be left alone when shedding.

Do not let your corn snake dangle from your hand. They can injure themselves (especially their spines) when hanging from their tails while twisting around. Properly support the snake from its mid-body area.

Do not allow young children to handle your pet snake, unless they have proper supervision. Children often drop jumpy snakes, causing injury to the animal.

Do not attempt to pick up a corn snake by the head.

Do not pick up a snake in a way that mimics the offering of food. For example, you should avoid holding your hand directly in front of it’s mouth. It may think you are offering food and bite your hand by mistake.

Avoid handling your corn snake around people who fear snakes. This is irresponsible behavior for a snake keeper. Instead, see if you can reduce their fear one step at a time. Start by letting the person view the animal from a distance (if he or she would like to) while it’s still inside the cage.

Do not handle your pet corn snake until you have washed your hands first. This is why I recommended keeping a bottle of hand sanitizer by the cage. Washing your hands before you handle the snake will prevent you from transferring germs or bacteria to the animal. Washing your hands after you handle it will prevent the snake from transferring bacteria to you.

That about wraps up my tips for corn snake handling and safety. I hope you found them helpful. And don’t forget to read part one of this lesson.

5 thoughts on “How to Handle a Corn Snake Properly”

Thanks this has cleared alot of my questions about the handling frequency I handle it once or twice a week it’s 3 year old and is active a fair deal of the time, at times I get nervous about handling it as when I touch it he goes vert jumpy but once out is all around my hands and upper body “).

It’s because you only handle it once a week, this is the first article I’ve ever read that says to handle once a week especially a corn snake, you can handle them every day and they will be fine. Majority of this article is great but that is silly when it comes to a corn snake.

Love my new common corn snake. Second day in New surrounding and she regurgitated prior feeding from pet shop. Also I know not to much handling after transporting from pet shop to her new home but I had to handle her to introduce her to new home… was that cause of regurgitation?

Make sure the cage isn’t too hot or too cold. Corn snakes do not need very high temps, compared to other species. This is a common cause of regurgitation in corn snakes. A temperature gradient of around 75 degrees (F) on one side, up to around 82 or 85 degrees (F) on the warmer side works well. Visit this forum thread and scroll down to where it says “FAQ from Kathy Love on Regurgitation” … http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28342